Terror of Night
by LaMindy
Summary: Though the nightmares that haunt them are as different as they can get, the comfort they need is the same. Luckily, they will never lack a warm and affectionate embrace to fall asleep in. NaGra/Gratsu.


Pairing: NaGra / Gratsu, established relationship.

Warnings: Mild yaoi (boyxboy). Some cursing. A bit of gore and blood. Un-beta'ed.

* * *

"Igneel?" His hand was stretched towards the dragon, reaching for the rough scales. They shone brightly in the daylight. A weak wind blew through his pink locks and the boy smiled. However, the creature shied away from the touch, and angry eyes met the child's. He retreated his hand as if he had been burned, though his fingertips had touched nothing but air.

A deep growling-like sound escaped from the dragon's throat. The sun disappeared, hiding its smiling face behind blackening clouds. "Igneel?" The boy tried anew. The fire-breathing carnivore snorted. A thin stream of dark smoke poured out of his nostrils.

The dragon turned around to face him. Igneel's pupils were gone. The rosy haired boy gasped and stepped backwards. Shadows fell over the world as he sky darkened. The boy's eyes were trained on his foster fathers form, looming menacingly over him. His eyes widened as Igneel's appearance started to change.

The scales followed the sky's example, and slowly turned darker and darker. Blue stripes formed over his body, and even the dragon's face started to change. The nose shrank. The tail reshaped. The chin, the ears, the wings...

The monster revealed a row of razor sharp teeth as it roared at the boy.

Acnologia.

Natsu woke with a start. He sat up in the bed, waiting for his heart rate to slow down. It was just another dream. Nothing else.

He breathed out and willed his heart to slow down a tad.

A sharp movement to his right made the beating skyrocket again. The image of his father-figure turning into a beast seemed almost permanently etched behind his eyelids, and for the shortest time, he actually thought it was the dragon. A soft moan. He cast one, quick glance at the culprit next to him, and brought a hand to his face. Gray was always a bit active in his sleep, tossing around frequently.

"A dream. Just a dream," he mumbled to himself. "Stop being so jumpy."

That was right; it had only been a nightmare – one of the worst he had had in a long time now. Another movement caught his attention. Gray was twisting in a very uncomfortable manner, his eyebrows knitted tightly together.

"Uhm..." the fire eater started. "Gray?"

_Fire. Smoke. In his lungs. Coughing. Couldn't get the burning out. Stuck inside him. Black ash blinding his dark eyes. Screams. His parents. Gone._

A wall of heat. Heartfelt sobs. A monster looming over him. Big. Dark. Ugly. Awful. The terrible sound of people choking. Dying.

The beast lifted his hands. A thin figure hang limply from its fingers. The woman's face was pale and coated with blood, but he would recognize it anywhere.

"MOM!" the scream ripped from his throat with all the raw strength and power he could muster. It did not slow the disgusting creature's movements. Slowly, it ripped the young woman in two. He wished he had never seen how a human looks like on the inside.

The scream got stuck in his throat as nausea almost overwhelmed him. He fought against the dinner that threatened to jump back up.. An arm hit the ground in front of him with a thud. Blood-rain hit his hair. Tears welled out of him and his entire being started shivering.

The monster dropped the remains of the crushed and torn body. It landed no more than two meters from his feet.

As the roof of his broken home fell over him, he wailed.

Gray shot up. His breathing was ragged and uneven, and sweat was pouring off him in buckets. Feeling slightly disorientated, he clenched the bed sheets in a death grip.

A hand touched his shoulder. His racing pulse went up another notch. Turning around quickly, he grabbed his attacker's hands and threw him backwards on the bed.

"Whoa–!" an easily recognizable voice exclaimed, but he couldn't place it yet. The room was dark, and the person beneath him struggled. The attacker was strong, and Gray had to hold him down with tremendous strength. He couldn't let anyone get hurt again... His mother...

"Hey, Gray! It's me!"

… Natsu?

Jet black orbs met his own confused blue. The ice mage's eyes widened, and he immediately released his hold on Natsu.

"Shit! Sorry!" His breathing stopped up for a couple of seconds, even though his heart worked itself to an early death in his chest.

"What the hell was that?" Even though the tone was annoyed, there was no real bite behind the words. The rosy haired teen didn't sound angry at all, but there was something else in his voice that Gray couldn't quite place in this panicked state.

"I'm... I'm sorry." He repeated. "Sorry."

The light was suddenly turned on, and Gray blinked. The shine was too bright for his eyes to adjust to just yet.

"Are you okay?" Natsu asked. Gray turned to him, and was met with a worried gaze. He averted his own eyes.

"Yeah."

"You don't look okay." The dragon slayer's whisper wasn't accusing, only observing. Gray filled his lungs with air.

"It's fine."

_No, it's not._ The words weren't spoken, but they could both feel them.

Natsu wouldn't pry. If Gray had felt the need to talk about it, he would have spoken. Only moments before, the fire mage had been haunted himself. The position was vulnerable. Natsu wouldn't push him.

"If you say so."

Gray finally looked up. The orbs that met Natsu's were gaunt and filled to the brim with tired pain. That look evoked the dragon slayer's own empty and lonely feelings, and an ache stabbed his heart. Before he knew it, his arms were wrapped protectively around the ice mage.

"It's okay." Gray whispered. "Just a... just some dream." Warm hands tightened their hold, and his own chilly arms wrapped around his counterpart.

As their eyes slipped shut, they knew that this night was just one of many. They had both been haunted by nightmares, and they had both woken alone countless times. But now, they could peacefully fall asleep again, buried in the love of each other's embrace.


End file.
